Australia made the worst possible start to the defence of their Asian Cup crown on Sunday as Graham Arnold's Socceroos were handed a 1-0 defeat by unfancied Jordan.

The Australians, who won the title on home soil four years ago, dominated for long spells but were unable to find a way to cancel out Anas Bani Yaseen's 26th minute header in the Group B clash at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

"It was one of those days," Arnold said.

"A frustrating day and the ball didn't seem to bounce. But you've got to...

Jordan coach Vital Borkelmans believes his team have what it takes to defeat Australia in the opening game of the 2019 Asian Cup.

The former assistant to Marc Wilmots with the Belgium national team from 2012 to 2016, became head coach in September and his first competitive international will be against the Socceroos on Jan. 6 in Al Ain.

"The first game is tough for both teams," Borkelmans told ESPN. "In these games everyone is looking around and is afraid to lose as well.

A battle between two European Championship rivals saw Ukraine claim a 3-1 victory over surprise qualifiers Albania in Bergamo, Italy, on Friday.

After conceding an early opener, Albania levelled quickly through Armando Sadiku but gave away another goal at the start of the second half, and Ukraine, also going to Euro 2016, sealed the win with two minutes to go.

The loud Albania fans, who filled half of the stadium in Bergamo, Italy, where their team were training before going to France, were quieted...